1.How do aliens in the story language and communication style different from the human language (oral, pictographic, phonetic, etc.)?
(1)Humans have only one language system for both speaking and writing. We utter one word after one word with a certain order.
The heptapods have two separated language systems. One is Heptapod A, used for speaking, which has no preferred order for the clauses in a conditional statement. The other more superior one is Heptapod B, used for writing, which is totally two-dimensional with a visual syntax. The linguist thinks it’s a full-fledged, general-purpose graphical language that can form endless statements only by little transformation. It’s already designed as a whole before written, so every part is connected closely. You can get every information just at one sight.
(2)Humans use languages for the communicating purpose because they need languages to express their ideas.
The heptapods think writing and speech may play such different cultural or cognitive roles but both are for the performative purpose which is to actualize, making sure the conversation taking place. ”Saying equals doing”
(3)Humans have developed a sequential mode of awareness, experiencing events in an order and perceiving their relationship as cause and effect. We think about the cause first, and then the effect.
The heptapods have developed a simultaneous mode of awareness, experiencing all events at once, and perceived a purpose underlying them all. They think about the effect first, and then the cause.
2.How does the physical structure of our body inform the way we communicate? How about the aliens?
Humans only have two eyes on one side of their heads, making their way linear in one direction. Also, humans use larynxes to voice through mouths, which means the sounds go in one direction. So, our minds develop in one direction, linearly in a certain order.
The heptapods’ bodies are radially symmetric with seven limbs and their seven lidless eyes are at the top of the their bodies on all sides. The location of their eyes made any direction be “forward.”, making them sense everything all at once. Also, the heptapods vibrate puckered orfices at the top of their bodies to make sounds, which can go on all sides. So they can ignore the order of events happening and express them as a whole and at once.
At the end, what will we do if we can foresee the future? Just follow it as the main character does or change it. It’s always a hard question. “我命由我不由天” suggests my fate is controlled by myself but not by the god, which is a saying in China from a Chinese animation movie. But should we change the fate or can we change it successfully with no consequence? It’s hard to say.